Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sheds, Shootin' and Winter Scouting






This winter has been longer and colder than most from recent memory, but that hasn't stopped me from getting outside.  Most of my recent excursions have been to check on the local deer herd and search for shed antlers.  A lot of folks wait until the snow thaws completely before they search for bone, but I like to get started early.  At this time of the year, cabin fever has really set in and I don't need much of an excuse to get out of the house.



1a2

A well-used deer trail through a stand of spruce trees; Several deer walk single-file to a winter food source.



With snow still on the ground, I can easily see the areas where the deer have been spending most of their time.  In deep snow, deer tend to "yard up" and don't do much moving.  In these situations, feeding areas and bedding areas can be one and the same.  Any trails you do find will likely look like deer super highways.

2a

Winter bedding and feeding areas under the shelter of evergreens



A lot of the deer activity that I've observed this winter has been in stands of pine or hemlock and also in crab apple thickets.  Logically, the snow depth has been much less under the evergreens and allows the deer to walk and feed more easily.  Often, the hard crab apples that were bypassed for more palatable soft mass last fall, are now targeted by deer digging under the snow.  These are the areas where I've focused my initial searches for sheds.  After the snow melts completely, I'll add corn fields and traditional bedding areas to my list of search zones.

3a

The right side of a 2-year-old six point that survived last season



So far this year, my shed count has been a lonely number one.  I've put in some serious miles, but the late thaw has kept me from exploring some of my prime locations.  Still, I was very happy to find the 3-point antler that got me on the board for '09.  It was lying on top of the snow at a small creek crossing between a thicket and a corn field.  The brow tine was broken off, but I recognized the buck as a two-year-old that I had trail camera photos of last fall.  I was happy to see that the buck made it through the season and hope to see him again next fall.

4a

My new Winner's Choice string and cable set and SureLoc QC1 sight



This winter has also kept me hitting the indoor range at Archery World fairly consistently.  After a few weeks of shooting, it was obvious that my bow needed some routine maintenance.  A new string and a set of cables was the first order of business.  Having very good luck with them in the past, I opted for another set from Winner's Choice.  After lubing the limb pockets and axles and installing a target peep, I had a lean, mean shooting machine!

5a

The QC1 sight features very fine pins and interchangeable pin modules for both hunting and target shooting.



Since my bow was looking so good and I wanted to do my part to stimulate the economy, I just couldn't resist buying a new sight.  I had my eye on several new '09 models, and the Sure-Loc QC1 really caught my attention.   Several features I really liked about this sight were very fine pins (0.010") and an extension bar for target shooting as well as third axis leveling and micro adjustments for windage.  But the one option that sold me on this sight was the interchangeable pin modules that allow the shooter to quickly swap target and hunting pin sets.  This sight is definitely worth a look if you're in the market for a new hunting or target sight.

I hope everyone is enjoying the winter season and spending some time in the field.  This time of year can be one of the best opportunities to pattern deer and scout for the upcoming archery season.  And if you're lucky, you might even find the sheds of the buck that eluded you last fall.  Just think...he'll be even bigger this year!  Good luck to everyone!

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